Pandemonium's Favorite

THIS IS NOT MINE, BUT [[[[[doxies]]]]]

I've posted before about this without spoiling, and it physically HURTs me that people are
giving out wrong spoilers based off some google translate thing they didn't even bother to
cross reference. A lot of spoilers are out of context of the whole story and omits SO MUCH
so i'm going to explain it as best as I can, referring to my previous post. These spoilers
are coming from the novel version btw, and whether or not JAXX choses to adapt them
will be another issue altogether. But anyway, here goes.
There are several major factors and characters I shall address.
1. Ryan (Blonde dude from earlier in the series)
He has a much bigger role in the books than in t he webtoon thus far, but idk how big his
role might be ahead because he has a major role to play in the latter half of the series. As
far as I know, he is NOT a love rival or anything of that sort. There has never been and
isn't going to be anything romantic between him and McQueen at all. He harbours certain
hatred McQueen for reasons, blames him for a lot of his ongoing issues and he has a lot .
He has a son, with a prostitute and he also seems to have drug issues and is generally
pretty messed up. In the novels, he and Ed live together, and McQueen and Ed have
meals with Ryan and his son Cecil, even helping to take care of his son because Ryan isn't
really the best parent.
He is actually the main reason why Ed and McQueen break up. But more on that in a bit.
2. Ed and McQueen
In the books McQue en is seen doing a lot more porn that in the webtoon to begin with;
here he seems like he does more of the background work like directing etc. But in any
case, novel McQueen and Ed BOTH continue to film porn with other partners, although Ed
only ever bottoms for McQueen after. In the novels, there's no confession at the train
station. They get together, but there's no actual verbalisation of the "I love you"s till
much later. So although they're making porn with other people, they're also not
exclusively together in the books at this point. I believe McQueen initially hoped to kind of
do couples porn with Ed, but at some point after they do both stop doing porn anyway.
But in any case, obviously the webtoon should differ from that.
Third parties are never a major major issue in the books for our main pair. They do love
each other, although it takes a much longer time for McQueen to verbalise it there. Yes
there is a 'love triangle' of sorts with Chang, but the feelings of the main pair never
wavers for each other, although circumstances in the later parts do drive a wedge
between them. The McEd pairing is actually quite fluffy in the books as well.
A major plot point in the novels. revolves around McQueen's writing of the movie's script.
A journalist basically finds out that McQueen is the director of that movie, and it makes
the news. Its huge news, and it goes on broadcast that a pornstar directed a religious
movie. The website is being overloaded by views – and the site Ed's audition film with
McQueen (for a DVD) is on there. The next day he goes to work, its obvious that all his
coworkers know about his doing porn. Ed is asked to resign from his job as a security
officer due to security reasons.
Upset, Ed then tries to contact McQueen, but he is unable to call through to him. This is
because McQueen was being hounded by journalists at the time and he explains it to Ed.
They then talk about plans for the future, like going on a cruise and stuff. Ed gets a little
drunk, and confesses he watched a porno with McQueen and Ryan. More context on this
is that Ryan and McQueen did something like a 'non-consensual' kink play? It's not
actually non-consensual and its not rape for sure, but Ryan apparently has a history of
sexual assault prior and told Ed before that McQueen exploits vulnerable men for money
i.e. something like he basically did the shoot because he was in a vulnerable position
(drug issues money issues etc.). Ed watched the porno, and then tell McQueen he agrees
with Ryan that what happened was rape. McQueen is livid to think that Ed could think
something like that of him, and says something along the lines of "I can't believe I was
falling in love with you". They break up and don't contact each other for weeks after that.
Ed gets a job at the airport, but its not very stable. Prior to this, Ed had already stopped
doing porn was also working for Chang doing some security, but he stopped that too after
the porn reveal and hasn't contacted Chang since.
Lancer contacts Ed who is now in high demand because of the porn reveal, and asks him
to do escort/prostitution work with him (He gave him an Escort card way earlier in the
novels I think as an invitation already). Ed wonders if McQueen will find out, and then
decides that he "doesn't care" and so on New Years Day, Lancer tells him that he's got
this client and that Lancer raised the price on him (because of his high demand); Ed
doesn't know who he is, but he turns up anyway. The client is Chang.
3. Chang
Chang ha sn't met Ed since the porn reveal, New Years Day is the first time they're
meeting after the reveal. Chang doesn't believe at first that Ed actually came, and Ed tries
to walk away after realising its Chang. But Chang physically grabs him and tells him he
paid for him, showing him the escort card he took from Ed's apartment (given by Lancer
earlier). Chang offers to make Ed's debt disappear – if he stays beside him for a year. Ed
considers and then refuses thinking this guy is the one who even ruined his life by
saddling him with this debt in the first place. They argue, Chang makes jibes about Ed
doing sex work and Ed, fed up, asks him if he wants to be fucked. Ed pulls down Chang's
zipper to prove a point.
Then Chang pushes Ed onto the bed and starts getting physical with him. At several
points, Ed says it hurts, and that he wants it to stop. Chang mocks him, bites him, and
continues anyway. Ed tries to punch him to get away from him, saying he's changed his
mind and telling him to stop. He grabs his clothes and tries to escape several times but
fails. Chang r*pes Ed. In this interim, Ed realises that Chang has had feelings for him all
along, and that he's just been trying to ignore it the whole time; after the deed is done,
he asks Chang if he likes him – and Chang doesn't confirm or deny it. Ed tells him it
doesn't matter because Chang is dead to him anyway, and tells Chang he wants to ruin
him, like Chang ruined Ed.
He walks out (Chang is still there), to run into McQueen – Ed wondered previously if
McQueen was going to find out about him doing escort/prostitution work so he clearly did
– McQueen tells Ed he didn't want to break up with Ed in the first place, tells him that he
loves him, and that he wants to get back together. Ed wants to say yes, but he just had
sex with (was raped by) Chang, so he doesn't respond, just leaves both men without
saying anything. McQueen and Chang fight, and Ed sees McQueen again the next day;
McQueen tells him he doesn't care about the whole Chang thing, and they get back
together.
McQueen tells him he's quitting porn for him and selling the company, and tells Ed to
check his bank account – $500, 000, which is the amount he owes Chang. Chang actually
confesses his feelings to Ed after this, and Ed tells him he doesn't care and to check his
bank account, that's his answer. Essentially he pays off his debt, and from there he's
saying that they no longer will have any ties to each other.
/
/
/
So essentially I wanted to clarify a few things.
Ed didn't lose his bodyguard job because of McQueen but the journalist actually, and
McQueen didn't abandon him because of the reveal at all. He had a huge debt to Chang –
but McQueen didn't pay it off probably because $500, 000 is kind of not pocket change??
He sold his company and paid off Ed's debts. McQueen is not the cause of Ed doing
escorting; that's Ed's choice. Their break up was NOT caused by Ed not wanting to do an
adult movie with McQueen.
McQueen and Ed's relationship is complex, and ultimately human. They make mistakes
and there's miscommunication and there's arguments of course, but there's also reasons
why certain things unfold the way they do. The novels are way longer than the webtoons,
and lots of things have been and will be taken out. So bear in mind that too.
I hope this helped in some way and if anyone else is going to bullshit about the 'spoiler'
without knowing what they're talking about again i'm going to hit the roof.

This website: https://rosesquadscans.aishiteru.org/reader/series/walk-on-water/ Found this lower in the chat and they update frequently.

It' s difficult to remember all the main characters' names & relationships, so I made a quick reminder, and thought it could be useful to someone else, so just in case:
Beware of SPOILERS:

[Yukio, Tetsu, Hyodo]'s story ch.1-17
[Heiji & Matsatugu]'s story ch.18-28 33-34.5
[Hisako & Hidetsugu]'s story ch.29-32

• YUKIO
best friend ➺ TETSUSHI
father ➺ Sanada RYUUJI
mother ➺ TSUBAKI (raped & killed by ASHIEI)
brother ➺ JUN (father ASHIEI, who worked for WANG)
half-uncle ➺ REIJI
taken by WANG from HEILONG/'Snakes' clan

• TETSUSHI
in love w/ YUKIO
brother-in-law ➺ RYOJI
sister ➺ RIKO

• Sanada RYUUJI (tatoo artist, killed by the HEILONG clan)
wife ➺ TSUBAKI
son ➺ YUKIO
friends w/ ➺ HYODO & MATSATSUGU
half brother ➺ REIJI
father ➺ Sanada MASAHISA (killed by HIDETSUGU)

SEIDOUKAI clan
• Kazutaka HYODO/KYOUDOU
right-arm man of HIDETSUGU
sworn-brother & long-time friend ➺ MATSATSUGU
underlings ➺ HANDA & ODAJIMA-san
adopted siblings ➺ HEIJI & HISAKO

• Doumoto MATSATSUGU (next head)
visited CHANG from HEILONG clan days before the bombing
father ➺ Doumoto HIDETSUGU
lover ➺ REIJI

• Doumoto HIDETSUGU (current head)
ex-head of the KAWAGUCHI clan
killed Sanada MASAHISA (head of the KAWAGUCHI clan)
then adopted Sanada REIJI & HISAKO
wife ➺ FUSA

HEBI clan
• Sanada Nakamoto REIJI (Snakes' boss)
visited WANG from HEILONG clan
killed CHANG from HEILONG clan
adoptive son & victim of ➺ HIDETSUGU
lover ➺ MATSATSUGU
sister ➺ Sanada HISAKO ('lover' of HIDETSUGU)
half-brother ➺ RYUUJI
mother ➺ SUMIKO
father ➺ Sanada MASAHISA (head of the KAWAGUCHI clan, killed by HIDETSUGU)

I only started reading BL manga earlier this year but I've already noticed some common tropes.
1) seme is half-white... bonus points for being half-French
2) seme and uke are "brothers" (but not REAL brothers) who grow up together
3) seme is a straight player but gay only for the uke
4) in love triangles, the douchebag is almost always the one to get the uke
5) rich handsome seme, poor normal uke
6) seme is a rapey asshole, uke goes along with it because he dont love haself
7) seme and uke hook up thanks to alcohol and angst afterward about ~what it means~
feel free to contribute to this list!!